By Woodrow Carroll
Tucson, Ariz.
The 2019 University of Illinois football season was difficult to understand.
On the upside, among the 14 teams in the Big Ten Conference, Illinois and Rutgers each was predicted as the least likely to make it to a bowl game in media preseason forecasts. In a surprise to many, thanks largely to a four-game winning streak in the middle of the season, the Illinois record was 6-4 after game 10 and assured a bowl berth.
The finished picture for the Illini was a bit less satisfying. Illinois closed out the regular season with a not unexpected loss to Iowa followed by a lackluster 29-10 loss at home to last place Northwestern.
In last week’s 35-20 loss to California in the Redbox Bowl, Illinois held its own statistically. What looked ugly were then multiple pass interference and delay-of-game penalties. Illinois was assessed 89 yards in penalties to only 45 yards in penalties for California.
Illinois led California, 10-7, after the first quarter, but, from that point on California started to assert itself.
The loss left Illinois with an overall record of 6-7. The defeat saddled Illinois coach Lovie Smith with his fourth straight losing season at Illinois.
Smith’s record is 15-34 overall and 8-28 in Big Ten Conference games.
• The Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Ariz. again was a showcase for an Illinois high school player. In Wyoming’s 38-17 victory over Georgia State, the offensive MVP of the game was Xazavian Valladay, a Chicago Brother Rice High School product. Valladay rushed for 204 yards, including a touchdown and hauled in three passes for 91 yards and another touchdown.
In the initial Arizona Bowl in 2015, Nevada beat Colorado State, 28-23. Nevada’s James Butler, of St. Francis in Wheaton, was named the offensive MVP Award winner. In 2016, Air Force rallied from 21-3 down to beat South Alabama, 45-21. The Cadets’ comeback was led by Arion Worthman, Normal West, who merited the offensive MVP honor.
• The Big Ten was not so big at bowl time. Overall, the Big Ten finished 4-5 in bowl games. Heavy hitters such as Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan all faltered.
Ohio State led 16-0 before falling, 29-23 to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl National semifinal game. Wisconsin traded the lead with Oregon before dropping a 28-27 decision in the Rose Bowl. And Michigan, leading 16-14 at halftime, lost, 35-16, to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl. Along with the Illinois defeat, Indiana was caught napping and gave up two touchdowns in the final three minutes and fell, 23-22, to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl.
More pleasing to Big Ten fans was Minnesota’s 31-24 victory over favored Auburn in the Outback Bowl and Iowa’s 49-24 beatdown of USC in the Holiday Bowl. Tack on bowl victories by Michigan State and Penn State and it was not a total disaster for the Big Ten.
• At age 75, Ohio University football coach, Frank Solich, is the senior member of the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) coaches.
Last week, Solich’s Bobcats beat Nevada, 30-21, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. It is the third year running that Ohio won its bowl game. The prior two seasons, Ohio was alone among Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams to win a bowl game. The MAC was 2-9 the past two seasons.
Ohio University and Kent State are both members of the MAC East Division. Kent State is coached by 33-year old Sean Lewis, the youngest coach in the FBS. Just like Solich, Lewis guided the Golden Flashes to a bowl victory. Kent State beat Utah State, 51-41, in the Frisco Bowl to give the school its first bowl victory.